Wordless Wednesday- 10.29.08 Sleepy girl

Works for Me Wednesday

This is my first time doing WWFM, but i'm always inspired by my friend Kristine who does this, and for once, i came up with something i'm proud of and think is really clever.

At this point, i've been using my breastpump a lot. i hate sitting there holding the cups, but i didn't want to pay $23 for a bra like this

to avoid the hand cramps.

So, i took an old bra that i never wear and cut holes in it. i feel stupid for not thinking of it before! But it works just as well, and it repurposes an old unused thing instead of bringing another new thing into my life.

It works for me!

Find more stuff that works for others at Rocks In My Drier


*Image taken from Babycenter.com

Feeling a little down

This is a breastfeeding post. i'm just putting that out there. If you're squicked out by reading about breastfeeding, don't continue reading please.


Cadence was 8 lbs. 5 oz when she was born. When she left the hospital, she was 7 lbs. 15 oz. At her 5 day checkup, she was 7 lbs. 13 oz. 7 day? 7 lbs. 11 oz. The Dr. had me see a lactation consultant, who said i was doing well and to supplement with formula for one day, but was satisfied with my production. We saw the Dr. again today, and Cadence had only gained one ounce since Thursday, and she's supposed to gain an ounce a day.

The Dr. tried feeding her a bottle, to see how she eats. It turns out, Cadence is what the Dr. calls "A Chewer". She'll suck swallow, suck swallow, and then release the latch. Then she chews a few times and will suck swallow again. So even if i've been making enough, my breasts don't give her enough milk because she's not sucking correctly for them to function properly. Her skin is getting dry and she's dehydrating before our very eyes, poor thing.

So now i've got to pump and feed her with a bottle, to train her to eat properly as well as monitor the amount she's eating. Hopefully she'll learn to eat better with the bottle and we'll be able to go back to the breast, but the Dr. was very bleak and said "chewers" don't tend to ever learn to breastfeed correctly.

Before i had her, i told myself i would breastfeed as long as it wasn't a hassle and we were both enjoying it. Well, not enjoying it. Wanna know a secret? i don't really like breastfeeding. i've never seen it as a real bonding experience. But as long as it was going well, i was prepared to keep doing it, because i think it is better than formula, though i really don't have anything against formula. It solved David's acid reflux problem right away and he's hardly ever been sick, either.

So anyway, i said i'd do it as long as it was easy. It has been 11 days and it's already not easy. i can't imagine that i'll have the ability to pump 8 times/ day for who knows how long until she may or may not be able to breastfeed again.

i've got a great pump, and i'll try it for a while. Please pray she learns how to eat, most importantly, so we don't have to worry about her shriveling up into nothing, and secondly, that she will learn how to breastfeed so we don't have to worry about any of this anymore.

i just feel...like a bad mom or something. i almost cried in the doctor's office. i know it's not my fault and that it happens, but knowing that for the last 11 days my sweet angel hasn't been getting nearly enough calories to sustain her makes me feel awful.

:(

Sweet baby Cadence

 

7 days ago, i was in labor with my beautiful angel. The days that have passed have been this incredible blur: this flurry of euphoria and amazement i can't even explain. She was 8 lbs., 5 oz., almost 1 1/2 pounds less than David was. So, as a result, her birth has not been nearly as hard to recover from physically as David's was. It's allowed me to enjoy both kids, and revel in the newness of life without being marred by the shadow of incredible pain. 

How's David taking all this? Wonderfully! He is very gentle with his sister, and was the first to meet her in the hospital. He was up on my bed with Cadence and i, and she started crying. He handed her his blanket. i could have cried, it was so sweet. That little move made me know having two will be ok. He doesn't appear to be very jealous of her, at least not yet. Whenever he sees her, he points and laughs happily. He brings me her blankets and her pacifier, tries to stick his sippy cup in her mouth, and mostly leaves her alone besides that. Whenever i feed her, however, he does not like her to be covered, which i do if men are over. It's very sweet, like he doesn't want her to lose any air while she's eating. He's fascinated by breastfeeding. He probably doesn't remember it, because i started him on formula at about 2.5 months. So he likes to watch me feed her. My mom said at some point, he will probably start breastfeeding his bear.

She is so sweet. She hardly cries, and has had a perfectly round head since birth. i've never seen a newborn without a bit of a cone head, but her head is so round, it's reminiscent of a cabbage patch doll. On the back of her head, she has a swirl of hair in a perfect circle. i call it her tornado. Her complexion is also perfect. i'll write more about this when i write out her birth story, but i think because i only had to push 4 times, the delivery was not hard on her. Thus: no cone head or weird patchy red spots or broken blood vessels. She has my nose, and the teeniest little legs and VERY long fingers. She will be an incredible cello player, not to mention pianist. She likes pacifiers, which David never did. She also seems to be ok with sleeping in her bassinet, as long as she's on the boppy pillow. She loves sleeping on it-like a little queen. 

i've really wanted to let you all know about her, but i've been busy and sleepy this week. i will let you know more, but i seem to have gotten the cold that everyone has, so i'm going to go take a nap while both kiddos are sleeping. i REALLY appreciate all your support and comments.

Also, a huge thanks to Liz from a Blonde Moment for blogging my labor and delivery times here as well as on her blog. She and her husband also watched David while i was in labor, and i am just so glad to have such great friends to call when i need a huge favor like that! And thanks to Jes from Beauty in Chaos, Mitch from Shot in the Dark, and Kacie from Sense to Save for blogging their congrats to me. i love all of you lovely readers, and am so glad to be able to share my life with you. 

Cadence Rae

Cadence Rae is here, born 9:23 pm!  She is 8 lbs and 5 oz; 20 inches long; and 14.25 inches around the head!  Mom, Baby, Dad, and big brother are all well!  However, I am sure once Cadence learns to crawl, big brother will be less well.

And now we return to our regularly scheduled blogging...

Liz from A Blonde Moment

We interrupt this blog…

To bring you a 39.5 week appointment test. Had there been an actual 39.5 week appointment, you would not be asked to stay tuned for further details. Stay tuned for further details.




Liz from A Blonde Moment

i've been tagged!

So my pals Jes and MIP both tagged me in the 7 random things about me blog virus that's going around:) So here's 7 random things about me!

1. i purposefully concentrate on speaking in a non-regional dialect. For instance, i take great pains to say "for" and not "fer" which is very common around here. There are other ones. Kris, in particular, makes fun of the way i say "bag" because i pronounce the a like hat, not like hate. But i hate the idea that people might think i'm from MN, simply by the way i talk, as the Midwestern accent is very ugly to me.i try not to say anything with a long "O", because i can't help my accent with that one.

2. i think the human gestational period is way too long. i think 6 months would be ideal. 9.5 months is FAR too long to go without roller coasters or hot tubs, not to mention a truly good night's sleep.

3. i'm a terrible artist. Really, really, awful. i'd like to take a drawing class or something someday, to develop basic drawing skills beyond stick figures.

4. Along those lines, my handwriting is also terrible. It didn't use to be so bad, but since i stopped going to school, i hand write things probably once every couple months. So it has gotten messy and unreadable, and it hurts when i write much more than a greeting card. Not sure what to do about that, other than write more by hand.

5. The first songs we've played on the belly for both babies is "Freebird". The second is Miles Davis' "So What."

6. i can't eat most seafood, due to very bad fish experiences when i was little. i can eat tuna salad and clam chowder, but that's pretty much it.

7. i'm addicted to chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast. It's delicious. i'm never hungry in the morning, but i regret it if i don't get some calories in me, so Instant breakfast is a wonderful invention. i'm pretty sure it was inspired by God.

So there you go. Most of my bloggy friends have done this. There are others who haven't, and i'd tag you, but really i've gotta take a nap. Sorry. Please do this if you haven't been tagged: i love reading these things!

PS No baby yet. And i'm resigned to the fact she'll be in there forever. i've got my 39.5 week appointment tomorrow afternoon, where hopefully the Dr. will schedule something so the baby doesn't get too big.

38.5 weeks

So i had my 38 week checkup this afternoon. i've spent all week doing all the stuff they say to do to go into labor, and i kept not going into labor. i was really afraid i'd go in and my dr. would say "You're 1 1/2 cm dilated, 50% effaced" like he had the last three weeks.

i'm 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced! Isn't that exciting? So i guess, even though i didn't go into labor, all the methods i was using were at least doing something. And i was thinking about it: sometimes it takes hours of hard labor to get to 3 cm, and i got there without feeling it really at all!

So anyway, i don't want to get my hopes up too high, but it's looking good for my going into labor, and soon. Cross your fingers!

Here's a picture of me taken last week. Have a great night everyone!

Mama Belle

There's this awesome lady i know. Her name is Mama Belle, from The Bayou Belles and Their Beau, and it's her birthday today!!! She's one of my bestest bloggy friends, and her Beau asked if i could highlight the fact that she's a total worship star. Seriously. this lady rocks! Check out this video!


This sweet video was taken at her church. Isn't she a great singer?

Do you know why i like her?

• She's hot
• She's a great mom
• She's a great wife
• She's got a great sense of style
• She is a wonderful friend to me, as evidenced by her always encouraging comments in my posts
  

So, happy birthday, Mama Belle! You are one awesome lady, and i'm proud to be your friend!

Wanna hear more about Mama Belle? Check out her other birthday posts around the blogosphere:

Jackie @ Moments and Memories
Wendi @ Miraculous Chaos
Jodie @ The Sky is Only Dark Between the Stars
Sarah @ Life in the Parsonage
Rachel @ A Future Pastors Wife
Amy @ Permission to Peruse
Julie @ Blessed with Five